Secondary 9/10 Learning
Welcome
Welcome back to Term 2!
We have had a fantastic start to the term with the sports day in week 2, new Fit For Life Programs running and a visit from Bully Zero . We had a special delivery arrive with some new furniture for our classrooms. We now have a tall table which can be used with tall stools, or as a stand-up work station and some Hokki stools which provide our students with more variety in their learning spaces.
Lunchtime Clubs
Just a reminder that the lunchtime clubs we will be offering for Term 2 are:
Monday: Computers
Tuesday and Thursday: Board Games
Wednesday: iPad coding
Friday: Basketball
Mathematics
In Maths this term we have started off with a focus on addition and efficient mental strategies. Mental strategies help us to simplify problems and identify the quickest and easiest way to solve problems. Some of the strategies we have looked at are counting on, doubles, near doubles and compliments to 10.
We have also started a unit on time this term. We have spent the first few weeks looking at the concept of time, how long things take to do and the different activities you might do at a certain time of day. One of the activities we have done you might like to try at home… turn on a stop watch, close your eyes and open them again when you think a minute has passed. Some of our students were surprised with how long a minute takes to pass!
English
In writing we have continued our focus on narrative writing. Students have been working on strategies to improve their stories including using descriptive language to introduce the setting and develop the characters in the narrative. We have revisited using sizzling starts and writing techniques such as ‘show don’t tell’ to engage the reader. Our narrative writing focus will conclude in week 4 when we complete another Big Write based on an image. Students will follow the writing process over a couple of sessions to plan their piece, compose and then revise and edit before handing their narrative in.
In reading we have looked at the different reasons why books, articles etc are written, the author’s purpose. We have investigated entertaining texts, informative texts and persuasive texts and identified clues which help us work out the purpose of the text. We have also looked at inferring and using the clues in the text to help us work out what a character is feeling or why an event took place without the author telling us directly in the text. This has worked well to compliment out investigation of ‘show don’t’ tell in writing.
Integrated Studies
This term in Integrates studies the students have identified, through the inquiry process, the focus their class will take for the final term on Immigration. Classes will be going on excursions to support the focus of the term and have begun to plan those so please look out for notifications on Compass to provide consent and pay for the excursion. Our first excursion this term is for SJG who are visiting the Colony Exhibition at the National Gallery of Victoria on Tue May 8th.
Through Integrated Studies students created some wreaths for ANZAC day to acknowledge the service men and women of Australia and discussed why we recognise ANZAC day.
Social Competencies
In Social Competencies we have welcomed our new Social Competencies teacher Courtney who has been quickly getting to know our students. Classes have looked at relationships and the different relationships they can have with people in their families, their friends, boyfriend/girlfriend and other members of the community. They have also explored the different appropriate behaviours for each type of relationship. What is appropriate with your friends, may not be appropriate with your teacher.
PreCAL
English
In reading the PreCAL classes are continuing to focus on comprehension strategies such as using the pictures to gain an understanding of a text and to make predictions about a text. We have looked at books which are about workplaces to link into the workplace safety focus for term 2. Students have also focused on sequencing information in a text to assist them with recalling what has happened at the beginning, middle and end of a text.
In writing the PreCAL classes are looking at informative texts and have worked on determining texts which are make believe and texts which include real information. We have also introduced them to the concept of an advertisement through workplace safety ads. This is an introduction to the project they will be working on this term, creating an advertisement about an aspect of workplace safety. While on the community experience excursion students were focused on identifying workplace safety issues and visual literacy related to workplace safety.
Mathematics
In Maths this term we have started off with a focus on addition and the different ways we can add numbers together. We have looked at different tools we can use to add to numbers together such as tens frames, drawing a picture and placing the biggest number in your head. While on the community experience day students were asked to count the number of people in the group at different times of the day to focus on the safety of everybody sticking together and to practice counting and addition skills. We have also started a unit on time this term. We have spent the first few weeks looking at the concept of time, how long things take to do and the different activities you might do at a certain time of day.
STEAM
In the PreCAL STEAM program in Term 2 we are focusing on coding and robotics. The students will be working with three different types of robots across the term both in their classroom and in the Discovery Centre. The first few weeks of term have been spent looking at what robots are and familiarising them with the robots they will work with this term and the tools they will use to program them.
Duke of Edinburgh
Our Term 2 Fit For Life program began in week 1 with new programs starting for yoga and the MAT Life skills program, as well as Action Indoor Sports, Inter School Sport, mini golf, ten pin bowling, outdoor adventure and the Watermarc Gym program. Feedback from the students has been very positive as they try new activities and develop their skills. Please remember that we are using Compass to provide online consent for our excursions. This saves on sending notes home and back to school with written permission. Please make sure you are logging on and providing consent when the notification comes through for an event.
One of our classes, SJG, has also commenced a community service program for the Community Service element of the Duke of Edinburgh Award. They have visited the Bundoora Farm to assist with the maintenance and upkeep of the grounds.
STEAM
The students have changed STEAM groups this term and will be engaging in a new activity. In the first few weeks students will be learning the skills they require to complete the various challenges and will be developing relationships with new people as they collaborate and work in teams.
Sam Birrell
Secondary 9/10 Team Leader